An Atmosian Tale
by Stormhawk fan SHhype
Summary: Pain, anger, hate, these are powerful forces that can cause even the most good natured of people to fall and follow a dark path. But what happens when one is forced down this path, is it at all possible for them to see the light and be saved...? Well Arygyn sure thinks so and he's going to try his hardest to make it a reality with the help of a few friends, let the dream begin!
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Storm Hawks or anything associated with the show, this fanfic exists purely because I want it to, also, credit to the story's cover image goes to alienforceSH**

 **Okay guys PLEASE don't get mad, I know I said that whole thing about remaining focused on one project back in "The Storm and the Hawk", but I've hit a REALLY big bit of writers block on that story, the next chapter is taking FOREVER! and I wanted to upload something for you guys. Now combine the fact that the idea for this story has been bouncing up and down demanding attention recently inside my head and I finally just said "Screw it!" and began writing this one.**

 **I would like to be clear, I' AM NOT ABANDONING "THE STORM AND THE HAWK"! it's just going to take longer for the next chapter to come out, and in the mean time, you have this, it's going to be a short 5 chapter story and the chapters aren't going to be anywhere near the length I usually make em, heck this one is only just over 3000 words, a couple of the others might actually be shorter than this one. Long story short, I've had this idea rattling inside my head for a while now and was surprised to find that no one has thought of doing this one before, WHICH MEANS I GET TO BE FIRST, MUHAHAHAHAHAHA- (THUNK) ok I deserved that**

 **Anyway, this story takes place straight after the events on Terra Tundras in the Cannon Storm Hawks universe, only we're looking at what happens with Cyclonis rather than Piper (come on I'm sure plenty of you have wondered, "what did Cyclonis do after returning to Cyclonia form Terra Tundras?"). Various characters from the show will make appearances throughout the story or be mentioned, but this is a PURELY Cyclonis story and will follow her, also while I plan to keep it rated T, I will not be holding back when it comes to turning our favorite crystal mage dictator into a victim, so get those hankies ready. Finally I will also be pulling three characters from other places to fill in certain rolls (you'll see what I mean later on), this isn't a crossover though, I just prefer the character design and personality of the ones I've chosen for these specific rolls over any of the cast from the Storm Hawks series, so I'll be using them and writing them as if they were born into the world of Atmos like everyone else in this story.**

 **So without further ado lets start this thing**

 **Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers all, SHhype productions proudly presents...**

* * *

 **An Atmosian Tale**

 **Chapter 1: Pain and Revenge**

The red glow from Cyclonis's teleportation crystal began to fade as Cyclonis reappeared in her chambers, a look of anger and hurt on her face.

 _She rejected me... my knowledge... my power... my friendship. She turned around and threw it in my face... how dare she... HOW DARE SHE!_

In her anger Cyclonis swiped her hands across one of the nearby workstations sending everything atop it crashing to the ground. Glass beakers shattered and delicate apparatus broke and snapped as they hit the ground, Cyclonis then swiped her staff through the air as it glowed with power, causing the table to go _spinning_ through the air until it collided with the wall close to the main door to her chambers where it broke in two. Ace had been coming through the door to investigate the racket and had to duck out the way as the table came down

Cyclonis hardly noticed him though and kept destroying the workshop; after all, what was the point of it all if she had no one to share it with. All Cyclonis really needed for her work was the spider-like machine in the center of the room, she'd set up additional workstations and tables complete with apparatus and nearby bookshelves filled with scrolls and texts... _for Piper_... for when they would return together and unravel the mysteries of Crystal Magecraft side by side. So sure had Cyclonis been that Piper would accept her offer, she'd never considered that she would be refused. All the work Cyclonis had put in to preparing her workshop for Piper's arrival... all for naught.

"I presume it did not go well Master?" Ace asked during a break in the destruction

Cyclonis whirled towards him, only now noticing him, then noticing the destruction she had wrought and he had avoided, "Ace... my apologies, I didn't hear you enter," Cyclonis replied as she took some deep breaths to calm herself, the rage however still bubbled just below the surface. Ace simply waved her off, a signal that it was nothing

Cyclonis then surveyed the destruction around her, seeing the broken tables and ruined shelves, the scattered books and scrolls before heaving a sigh, "No it did not go well, Piper refused my offer and I failed to destroy her _or_ the Storm Hawks."

Ace's shoulders sagged, he'd suspected as much from his Master's current state of mind, "Do you have any orders, would you like me to go after the Storm Hawks?" he offered

Cyclonis thought about it for a moment, she was _aching_ for revenge, but she didn't just want the Storm Hawks – or Piper for that matter – defeated, she wanted them utterly _crushed_ , _destroyed_ , and most of all, she wanted it to be by their own hand

 _But how to accomplish such a feat... now that was the question_

"No, for now, just find them, I want to know their whereabouts at all times until further notice," Cyclonis ordered with a swipe of her hand

Ace bowed low, he knew better than to question orders while she was in this delicate state, one wrong word, and he'd go the way of the crystal workshop that now lay around him in smashed remains, "As you command Master."

Cyclonis nodded as Ace began to make his way out, "Oh and send someone to clean this mess up, only the scrolls and texts are important, everything else can be replaced," Cyclonis added

Ace nodded as he left before closing the door behind him

* * *

Cyclonis was left alone, she gazed once again at the destruction around her, and though her rage still remained, the pain and loneliness that had been part of the reason for this mission rose above it, now mixed in with the pain of Piper's rejection. She sighed and let go of her staff which drifted over to the spider-like machine in the center of the room where one of the arms caught and held it. Cyclonis meanwhile made her way to one of the other doors in the room, draped over a chair next to the door was a large purple blanket which Cyclonis picked up as she passed through the doorway, draping it around her shoulders. On the other side of the door was her bedroom, a large four poster bed with purple sheets and covers dominating the room, the posts made of sleek obsidian stone, while the head and foot boards were carved from dark wood. Above hung a canopy of purple and violet drapes, which could be released to become curtains which would block out the whole world around the bed... her little sanctuary.

With the blanket draped around her, Cyclonis climbed into bed and curled up in the center with her head resting on the pillows. There she stayed, the entire day's events playing back through her mind, rescuing Piper... returning to the _Condor_... joking and laughing with Piper both before and after the other Storm Hawks returned... seeing Piper's crystal lab... learning she was self taught... going to Terra Tundras. Cyclonis felt a stab of pain in her chest as she recalled the exchange on the Terra

" _So you pulled me from that storm just so you could destroy me!?"_

" _ **Oh I didn't come to destroy you; I came to ask you to join me**_ _..._ _ **See, we're a lot alike, you and me, more than you'd like to admit**_ _!"_

" _ **Come on Piper, imagine, the two of us working together, the world, would be ours**_ _!"_

" _You've gotta be kidding, I'd never join you!"_

" _ **Well, there's always the alternative**_ _..._ _ **You'll have the best seat in the house, for your friends, destruction**_ _..._ _ **ATTACK**_ _!..._ _ **Now, where were we girlfriend**_ _?"_

" _So all this-this friendship was just some twisted game to you!?"_

" _ **I don't have time for friends; I have a world to conquer**_ _!..._ _ **It's amazing how much you can learn about a person after a few hours with them, and I think I know you pretty well now Piper! Well enough to know your next move before you even make it**_ _."_

" _I learned a lot about you too, my friend."_

" _ **You're so naive, we were never friends**_ _!"_

" _You can act all tough and destroy the world, but you can't hide who you really are, a lonely girl who desperately wants a friend!"_

" _ **I still have one trick left**_ _..._ _ **you know what this is, don't you**_ _."_

" _Oblivion crystals won't work on friends, even if they were only friends for a moment, it's a dud... Master."_

It was that last comment from Piper which was _really_ eating at Cyclonis, because the thing was... she was right, the only way the Oblivion crystal wouldn't have worked was if – even if it was just a single fleeting moment in time, a mere second – Cyclonis had considered Piper a friend, and vice versa. That single fact was tearing Cyclonis apart... Piper had been her friend, but when the moment came to chose between her path to conquer the world, and staying Piper's friend, she had chosen the former... had stabbed Piper in the back... hadn't even given it a second thought...

 _What kind of monster must she think I' am to do such a thing?_

Cyclonis's head suddenly _flared_ in pain

 _ **She was the one who rejected US, we gave her the choice to join us, to stand at our side and she threw it in our face, SHE BETRAYED US FIRST!**_

Cyclonis's eyes hardened as the thought ran through her head and the rage began to rise up once more, but rather than simply let it flow out in a fit of destruction, Cyclonis began thinking

 _There has to be a way to make Piper pay for her betrayal_

Cyclonis quickly jumped out of bed and went over to her bookshelves, where a large number of scrolls and texts were kept. She then began pouring through them, searching for the perfect form of revenge. It took the majority of the rest of the day, but she finally found what she was looking for, a complex and difficult crystal spell that would require several powerful crystals... and some way to target the victim. Luckily Cyclonis already had that covered, during her search she had come across a single strand of hair stuck to her robes... it was blue, one of Piper's. Now all she needed to do was create the crystals, at least one of them she had made in the past, and she had all of the necessary resources, it would just take time. Cyclonis didn't even hesitate and got straight to work

She worked through the small remainder of the day and most of the night, she didn't stop for anything, not even to get food, dinner was left for her by a pair of Talons that entered her chambers, but she hardly noticed them, too engrossed in her work. She was vaguely aware of Snipe and Ravess visiting her but she dismissed them almost as soon as they arrived, stating that she was not to be disturbed. At long last it was done, the last crystal was complete and set into a carefully made pattern with the others, suspended between them was Piper's hair, the target for the spell

The basic effect of the spell was to inflame any feeling of anger or resentment, no matter how small. The spell would then feed on the anger and hate it had created and subsequently grow, allowing it to spread the anger, the hate, giving it more to feed from and grow stronger, spreading until it had all of Atmos in its grip. And the best part, there was _nothing_ Piper could do to stop it

* * *

Cyclonis was itching to cast the spell, but a yawn stopped her, glancing outside she could just make out against the red skies of Cyclonia the first signs of dawn approaching. As much as she wanted to cast her spell right now, it was better to do so well rested, even in casting there was much that could go wrong, bed rest was what was now called for. Cyclonis covered her spell carefully with the blanket she had wrapped herself in earlier; she then made sure no one would touch it, before heading to bed

Cyclonis drew the curtains to her room, leaving a small gap in the curtains for the balcony window, then after changing into her nightclothes she climbed into bed, pulling the covers over herself. She was just about to use her powers to release the drapes around the bed, when a tapping sound made her stop, she furrowed her brow, she'd given orders that she wasn't to be disturbed until further notice. Annoyed she climbed out of bed and went to the door to her room, opened it and... there was no one there

Confused Cyclonis listened carefully, but the tapping had stopped. Shrugging she went back to bed and was just about to climb back into bed when the tapping started again. This time however Cyclonis could make out that it was something tapping on glass, she turned towards the balcony, and looked through the gap in the curtains. Through it she could just about make out someone's legs standing on the other side of the balcony door, confused and curious now, Cyclonis approached the door hesitantly, she rather doubted an assassin could make it to her private chambers, even from the balcony as they were near the peak of Tower Cyclonia and the perimeter was patrolled constantly. So that begged the question, _who_ was knocking at her balcony door

She reached the door and took hold of the handles through the curtains, then she flung it open, and was greeted by a man in _the_ most ridiculous outfit she had ever seen complete with a hood that obscured his face in shadow, well most of his face, Cyclonis could still make out his eyes and the smile that slowly spread across his face

The man twirled a cane as he began to speak, "Well how do ya do Cyclonis, your looking _lovely_ this morning!" the man exclaimed, with a broad smile

Cyclonis slammed the door shut again, _maybe I was wrong about that whole assassin thing_ she thought, but she wasn't left much time to dwell on that as she heard the voice again, but this time it was _inside_ her room

"Now is that any way to treat a guest, really, were you taught _any_ manners growing up?"

Cyclonis's head whipped round to where the man was now seated in a chair, one leg crossed over another and tapping his cane lightly against the arm. Cyclonis turned to look out at the balcony to find that it was now empty, then looked back to see that the chair was also empty, but the strange intruder was not gone, as his voice made quite clear

"My, my, my, we certainly have a lot of work to do, I can't believe that this situation has been left to get out of hand so disastrously!" the man said as he examined the room and Cyclonis's personal affects

Now Cyclonis was getting annoyed, "Who are you and what are you doing here!?" she shouted, trying to get some answers

The man simply looked at her amusedly. "My, my, a feisty one to be sure, I'm barely here for five minutes and your already barking orders," the man replied, while picking up a Holo-Crystal.

Cyclonis had had enough, and she drew a breath, before she could do anything though the man interrupted her, "Go ahead, see what that does for you."

The confidence with which he'd spoken while he continued to examine the Holo-Crystal, suggested that he was not at all worried about anyone coming in, but Cyclonis ignored him and began yelling for Ace... she got no answer, no one came running, the doors remained closed. She tried again, this time for Ravess and Snipe... again, nothing happened, the man merely chuckled amused

"What's going on here!?" she snapped rounding on the man, only to find he was gone from the position he'd been in previously and was now perusing her books and scrolls both on her desk and those that remained on the shelves

"I should think someone of _your_ education should be able to figure it out," he said while raising one hand and twirling a mute green crystal between his fingers

"A silencing crystal," Cyclonis breathed, then watched astonished as with a flurry of his fingers the man caused the crystal to vanish

"Just a precaution, that crystal combined with the fact that you gave orders not to be disturbed, means we have some time alone to chat," the man stated as he took a seat again in the chair he'd been in before

"Chat?" Cyclonis said confused

"Yes, I'm here to deliver a warning about that spell of yours in the next room," the man replied

Cyclonis started, "How do you know about that!?" she exclaimed

The man merely smiled, "You don't seriously imagine that a _powerful_ and _dangerous_ spell such as the one you just crafted would get by without someone noticing did you?"

Cyclonis stared at him blankly as he continued, "Let's just say that I'm a concerned citizen of the Atmos who would like to see everyone walk away from this situation unhurt. In fact, quite frankly Cyclonis, I'm the one person standing in the way of you being assassinated before you can use that spell. If it hadn't been for me convincing the others, you'd have gone to bed and _never_ awoken a horrid waste of life."

Now Cyclonis was listening, the thought that she had avoided death by the skin of her teeth was a serious wake up call, however, that left her just one question in her mind. "So if you're _not_ here to kill me... _why_ are you here?"

"Ah, that's the truth of the matter isn't it, well since you ask, I'm here to try and convince you to _not_ use that spell of yours, in fact, I want you to destroy it," the man replied

Here Cyclonis scoffed, "You can't be serious, do you know how much work I put into that spell, now you just want me to discard it just like that!"

Here the man's demeanor changed, he had been talking rather light-heartedly before, now he grew serious, his eyes became hard. "I'm _very_ serious Cyclonis, if you use that spell, all it's going to bring is misery and strife-"

"That's the point, that's what it does, and I'm going to use it to not only defeat the Skyknights but also to take my revenge on the person who betrayed me!" Cyclonis shouted, angry now

The man simply waited for her to finish, and then continued, "-For everyone, _including_ Cyclonia."

Here Cyclonis took a step back, staring at the man incredulously, "What? That's ridiculous, I control the spell, it will only affect those I command it to.

"And what happens when it grows stronger than you, when it becomes the embodiment of _all_ the hate and anger in the Atmos? Can you _really_ control something _that_ powerful?" the man asked

Cyclonis stared at him as the beginnings of doubt began to eat at her mind

 _No it_ _ **will**_ _work as it's supposed to, I haven't missed anything_ -

The man interrupted her thoughts "Of course you didn't, your Master Cyclonis, a true prodigy of a Crystal Mage, and that's the point, the spell will work _exactly_ as it's supposed to, spreading across all of Atmos, causing hate and anger to spread with it, which it will then feed on, glutting itself as it feeds on the anger and hate of _every_ individual in the Atmos."

The voices of doubt began to grow louder, but Cyclonis shook her head and stomped them out, then stared hard at the man, "Why should I take _your_ word for it, I don't know you, your an intruder, for all I know, you're making this whole thing up just to scare me."

The man smiled here, and his light-hearted nature returned, "You are _absolutely_ right, which is why I brought friends, they'll be here to see you shortly and maybe then you'll see why you _shouldn't_ cast that spell... if you don't..." the man trailed off there, a sad look on his face, "Let's just say the powers that be do _not_ want this spell cast, but thanks to me, their willing to give you a chance to change course." With that he stood and began making his way back towards the balcony window

Cyclonis could only stare at him in confusion and shock, and it was only when the balcony window opened allowing a strong gust of wind to blow through the room that Cyclonis was broken from her stupor. "Wait what do you mean friends!?" she shouted above the gale

"You'll see my dear, good luck!" the man replied before a particularly strong gust caught Cyclonis's scrolls and began flinging them around the room, Cyclonis quickly scrambled to retrieve them. By the time she had them secured in her arms the man was gone, but in the distance Cyclonis could see a bird winging its way into the distance

* * *

 **And there we have it, I'm pretty sure fans of Classical literature will know where this story is going but please keep your peace, after all isn't so much better when those who are not quite up to speed figure it out and we can read their _delicious_ comments... was that last bit out loud? whoops **

**Please feel free to leave a review if you like this story so far and as always constructive criticism is welcome, see you all next time ; )**

 **P.s. yes the guy in the ridiculous outfit and cane was Arygyn being his usual trolly self, everything that happens from this point forward is HIS doing ; )**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:** **I do not own Storm Hawks or anything associated with the show, this fanfic exists purely because I want it to, also, credit to the story's cover image goes to alienforceSH**

 **Well here we are back with chapter 2, won't keep you long, just a couple things, first off, I use both Lark and Cyclonis in this chapter, Lark will be in reference to the younger version and Cyclonis will be in reference to the present day version. Second, the character model and personality that I used for the spirit of Days gone past is that of Lelouch from the Anime Code Geass (I just like the fit better). Last but not least, I don't want to hear any complaints about the Spirit's powers being "implausible", this story is after all set in a world where people live in the sky, has crystals that defy the laws of physics and creatures that are FAR from normal, with some of them even having some very funky powers of their own (coughs) Siren Song (cough). So yea, zip it, anyway**

 **Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers all, welcome back to... An Atmosian Tale**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: "I' am the Spirit of Days gone by," ( _Egocentric much?_ )**

Cyclonis quickly closed the balcony windows before dumping the scrolls back onto her desk, then she took a moment to process what had just happened. She had just been visited by an unknown intruder who warned her against using her spell which she had just crafted to enact the perfect revenge on Piper and the Skyknights. She, of course, had thrown his claims back in his face and his response had been to simply tell her that she would receive more visitors throughout the day who would all attempt to convince her to destroy her spell. He had also mentioned that the consequences of _not_ heeding their advice would result in _less_ than ideal circumstances for her

Cyclonis gave a dry chuckle as she thought of the absurdity of all this

 _I mean really, beings that can just show up and do anything, know everything, like me crafting that spell, ridiculous!_

There was _no_ way for anyone to know about her spell, not even her own subordinates knew exactly _what_ she'd been working on, just that it was important

 _There's a good chance I'm already asleep and this is just a dream, that's it, a dream, so I have nothing to worry about_

"True, if this _is_ a dream, but what if it's _not_ , the mind boggles."

Cyclonis froze, and then began to turn slowly towards the voice that had spoken. Seated in the chair that the first mystery visitor had vacated just a few minutes ago was a second figure, but this person was _very_ different. It was a teenage boy a couple years older than Cyclonis herself, he had dark hair that covered his forehead and partially covered his eyes, down the back it came down to where his neck met his shoulders. He had a wide intelligent brow and a pair of piercing blue eyes that seemed to stare straight through Cyclonis, he was rather lanky and his dark clothes with their orange/yellow trim resembled a uniform, very smart and trim, but it was unlike any uniform that Cyclonis was aware of

He gave Cyclonis a small smile, his expression both told Cyclonis of his supreme confidence and also spooked her a bit; she felt like a prey animal that has just sighted a predator. "Greetings, you must be Cyclonis, I've heard so much about you, you also make for an interesting read," he said, the last part included him holding up a small book, printed on the front was the Cyclonian emblem, but it was also joined by a collection of crystals that surrounded it

"W-who are you?" Cyclonis asked nervously

The smile grew, "I' am the Spirit of Days gone by, I preserve and record the past, it is me who ensures that it always be remembered so that its mistakes are _never_ repeated," the boy replied

 _Wow, egocentric much?_ Cyclonis thought after that little self promotion

"Your one to talk miss majesty," the boy said, his smile becoming toothy

Cyclonis gaped at him, _h-how did he know what I was thinking!?_

"Let's just get this out of the way now ok, I know what _everyone_ is thinking, because once it's been thought, it goes into my records as a past action. I know every action, choice, decision, conversation and thought that has _ever_ occurred, so yea, view me as egocentric if you like, but I've more than earned bragging rights," the boy explained smiling as he did

Cyclonis continued to gape, then shook her head as she composed herself, "I suppose your here to tell me to get rid of the spell that I spent _all_ of last night crafting!?"

"Why yes, I' am," the boy replied

"Well you can forget it, it's _never_ going to happen no matter _what_ you say," Cyclonis stated

"Is that a fact?" the boy asked, though his tone made the question sound _way_ more threatening than it actually was

"Yes!" Cyclonis returned, "Now kindly leave me in peace, I would like to get some rest, I have a _very_ important spell to cast and I _need_ sleep to do it properly!"

The boy acted as though he hadn't heard her though, as he continued to sit in the chair while laying the book with the Cyclonia emblem on it on his lap, before opening it – Cyclonis could just make out a picture of herself on the first page – "Well if you won't _listen_ to what I have to say, maybe _showing_ will work better."

Before Cyclonis could utter a retort, the boy turned the first page, and it kept turning, page after page after page began flicking across from one cover to the other. As this happened, the room around them began to change, people and objects moved around the room at _blinding_ speed, but it was the direction which _really_ got Cyclonis's attention, they were all going _backwards_. Cyclonis quickly turned towards the window where the sun and moon were flashing across the sky, but in reverse

 _We're going back in time!_

"Correct," answered the boy causing Cyclonis to flinch with annoyance, the fact that her thoughts weren't currently private was _really_ bugging her. Eventually the pages began slowing down, as they did so did the events around them, until finally the boy placed a finger onto a settling page, and the room was filled with the sound of a baby crying

Cyclonis turned towards the bed, where her mother currently lay, exhausted after giving birth, _that's right, this was my parents room before I became Master Cyclonis_

"Indeed, this was the moment when you came into the world, an event which would affect the lives of many," the boy said as he came to stand next to Cyclonis as they watched the nurses carefully clean and swaddle the new born Cyclonis, before handing her to her father, Corvin Cyclonis

Corvin took his new born daughter to his wife, "Look Cecilia, look at our baby girl," he said allowing his wife to see her

Cecilia smiled at her baby as she mewled in her father's arms, "She's beautiful Corvin," she said as she gently raised a hand to little Cyclonis and stroked her brow

"What shall we call her?" Corvin asked, as he did, little Cyclonis got a little hand free and grabbed hold of a strand of her father's hair before pulling, "Ouch careful there little miss," he exclaimed

Cecilia giggled as Corvin awkwardly removed their child's hand from his hair, and then smiled at her, "She's as playful as a Lark..." Cecilia went silent for a moment as she went into deep thought, "Lark, yes, it's perfect, Lark Cyclonis."

A wry smile crossed Corvin's face, "If you like it, then Lark it is," he replied as the two of them began to dote on little Lark

Cyclonis turned towards the boy, "Why did you bring me here?" she asked, genuinely confused as to what this boy's game was, after all, how was showing Cyclonis her past supposed to stop her from using the spell

The boy continued to observe baby Lark and her parents, before speaking to Cyclonis without looking towards her, "In order to determine one's path and what one _truly_ wants, it is important to understand where they have come from, and what they have been through." Now he turned to her as he continued, "It is important for you to remember _how_ you became the person you are today, only then can you chart a path forward."

Cyclonis had no answer to that, and instead looked back towards her parents and herself, _was I really that small?_ She then studied her parent's faces and felt tears brim in her eyes at what she saw there, _they love me, and each other, and their unafraid to show that love_. Cyclonis felt her heart ache at the scene, she realized, she missed this, being loved, she barely even remembered it, and there was a good reason why

"Time to leave," the boy said, book in hand once again, and before Cyclonis could tell him to wait, he'd turned the page again. They didn't go far this time, in fact if Cyclonis had to hazard a guess, they'd gone forward a couple of months, in that time, the scene had changed, whereas before the room had been the site of a joyous birth, now it was a place of misery and a dark cloud seemed to hang in the room. Cyclonis's mother was once again lying on the bed, in fact – if the accounts Cyclonis had been given were accurate – she hadn't left since giving birth to her

"How is she doctor?" came a man's voice, Cyclonis turned to see her father talking to a man in a white long sleeved shirt

The doctor turned towards Cyclonis's father and gave a sad shake of his head, "I'm very sorry your majesty, but the illness has spread too far in her weakened state, there's nothing more we can do... except make her comfortable," the doctor replied

Corvin's breath hitched as his eyes drifted to his bedridden wife - in the background the mewling of a baby could be heard – "Nothing!? You can't be serious, there has to be _something_ we can do!?" Corvin exclaimed

Under normal circumstances the doctor would have been intimidated by Corvin, but in this instance, _he_ was the medical professional and Corvin wasn't, "I'm sorry your highness, but we've tried everything, and your wife doesn't have the time or strength for an experimental procedure," he stated firmly

Corvin stared at the man blankly, then a look of fury overtook his face and he grabbed hold of the man by his lapels, "No, you find a way, find it NOW! I refuse to let her go like this!" Corvin shouted, causing little Lark to begin crying in her crib

When the doctor did not reply Corvin looked like he was about to throw a punch, but a gentle hand on his shoulder stayed his own, "That's enough Corvin, let the man be, he's done all he can," said Lark's grandmother, Corvin's mother and previous Master Cyclonis, Anarchis Cyclonis

Corvin stared at his mother incredulously, before a voice drifted over from the bed, "Corvin..."

Corvin released the doctor immediately and rushed to his wife's side taking her hands in his, the doctor meanwhile left after giving a small bow to Anarchis, who returned it with a tip of her head, before going over to Lark's crib and began rocking it gently causing her cries to slowly cease

"The doctor says you're going... to be just fine," Corvin said, even as tears began forming in his eyes

"Liar," Cecilia returned smiling, but also sad at the same time, then she continued, "Promise me something Corvin."

"Anything my love," Corvin replied

"Promise me you'll keep Lark safe, that you'll help her become a fine young woman, that you'll help her find happiness," Cecilia said as the tears began running down her cheeks

Corvin's own tears began falling as well, "We can do that together Cecilia, you and me, just as we've done everything since we met, you know that together we can do anything," he insisted, holding onto his wife's hands tightly

"Not this time my love, this adventure, the two of you will have to take without me..." Cecilia replied, trailing off as her eyes fluttered closed

"Cecilia, CECILIA!" Corvin cried desperately

Cecilia's eyes fluttered open again and she looked directly into Corvin's eyes, "I love you... both of you... I will always love you... no matter how far apart we are..." Cecilia's eyes drew shut again as her last breath left her body with her words and her head came to rest against the pillow beneath it

Cecilia! CECILIA NO! COME BACK, PLEASE! PLEASE COME BACK! CECILIAAAA!" Corvin's cry echoed around the room as did baby Lark's own cries, and Cyclonia mourned the loss of a great woman

* * *

Cyclonis collapsed to her knees, tears tracking down her cheeks, she'd been too young to remember any of this – she'd barely been two months old for Atmos sake – and while hearing and reading about it had stung, to actually _see_ and _hear_ it herself was almost more than she could bear. The Spirit of the Past stood beside her calmly watching the scene, "Is this some form of torture!?" Cyclonis growled, "Do you enjoy watching me suffer!?"

"On the contrary, I despise it," the boy replied

"Then why show it, why remember it!?" Cyclonis exclaimed

"Because, despite the pain the past holds, it is still important, and besides... it's not _all_ painful," he explained as he brought that cursed book up again, before Cyclonis could stop him the pages were flying again and time began moving forward once more

This time they went years forward, occasionally they would stop and observe Cyclonis growing up, little princess Lark was a playful, joyful spirit who brought light and life back into Tower Cyclonia, particularly to her father, who still mourned the loss of his beloved Cecilia

"I'd forgotten all this, I had everything a little girl could ask for, a kind grandmother, a caring father... the only thing I was missing was a mother, but because of how soon she passed after I was born, it was never really an issue for me," Cyclonis said as she watched her younger self play, "For all intents and purposes I was happy, I had everything I'd ever wanted."

"Then what prompted the conquest of Atmos?" the spirit asked rhetorically

Cyclonis froze here, she knew the reason, it was her most painful memory, a memory she had forced herself to forget. She turned to the spirit, "Please no, not that, I don't want to have to live through that again!" she exclaimed

The spirit simply looked at her critically, "It's important, and the story _must_ be finished." With that he turned the pages again, and on through time they travelled

When they stopped this time it was to see 5 year old Lark playing on the floor with her toys while Anarchis her grandmother sat attendant nearby. Cyclonis felt her knees grow weak, she knew what was coming, as she was forced to watch the events play out again, the memories came flooding back. "Please, I don't want to be here, please stop this, I've seen enough!" Cyclonis pleaded

"No, there is still more you must see," the spirit replied

Suddenly the door to the room opened and one of Cyclonia's generals marched in, helmet under one arm and his weathered uniform displaying that he'd just returned from the front. Conflict with Atmos had flared up again due to competition of resources, and Corvin had gone to lead Cyclonia's forces from the front, while Anarchis looked after Lark and managed things at home. The sudden appearance of a general took Lark and Anarchis by surprise, Anarchis stood up to greet the general while Lark knowing the appearance of a general meant that dad was coming home

"Is dad home, where is he, where is he?" Lark cried excitedly

"Calm down Lark... I'm sorry general we weren't expecting you, is my son with the rest of his war council..." Anarchis trailed off however as the general bowed, and _stayed_ bowed

Anarchis looked up to the still open door, where she saw a number of other military officials waiting anxiously. Lark looked between them all confused, "Where's daddy grandma?" she asked in her sweet voice

The room was silent, then Anarchis spoke, her voice restrained and cautious, "General... where is my son?"

"Dead, your highness, he fell on the field of battle," the general replied in a voice that was close to breaking

"How?" Anarchis breathed

"His ship suffered catastrophic damage and fell into the wastelands, we searched for three days to try and locate him, but there was no trace, just wreckage as far as the eye could see..." the general trailed off, before continuing, "I' am deeply sorry your grace, if you wish to punish me for my failure to protect your son, I will gladly accept any punishment." The finality of the general's words left no doubt, Corvin was dead, Anarchis collapsed into the chair she had been sitting in and began to weep. Lark meanwhile looked back and forth between her grandmother and the general, not understanding, it wasn't until she saw a trio of lieutenants carrying a tattered Cyclonian flag – a flag that Lark _knew_ had been on the bridge of her father's ship – that reality hit. Her father was gone, and he was _never_ coming back

"STOP!" Cyclonis shouted, and things did stop, literally, time froze as the spirit turned to look at Cyclonis who collapsed to her knees again, tears streaming down her face

"You cannot run from your past, eventually it catches up with you, with _all_ of us," the spirit responded, and proceeded to continue. They watched as Anarchis descended into despair, while Lark tried her best to cheer her up, to be the little ray of sunshine she always had been, that her father had always encouraged her to be

"Ah I see, so that is the reason," the spirit suddenly said

"What?" Cyclonis asked tearfully

"Nothing," the spirit replied

Anarchis's despair soon turned into anger and hate, she slowly became consumed with an uncontrollable need for revenge on those who had stolen her son from her, the _Skyknights_. Her rage led to a string of Cyclonian victories but it was not enough, the Skyknights began pushing back and Cyclonia faced defeat. Frustration gripped Anarchis, and her rage and anger grew as a result, so when Lark once again attempted to console her, Anarchis took it out on her. The next several years were filled with nothing but cold-hearted discipline and abuse. Year after year this went on, until finally Lark _snapped_

* * *

"No, you stupid girl, more force, more power, more ANGER!" Anarchis yelled

"I'm trying grandmother," Lark pleaded

"You're not trying hard enough, you're father would be ashamed at how _weak_ you are, after all it's for him that we do this, to make the Skyknight's – no – _ALL_ of Atmos pay for taking him from us!" Anarchis roared, "NOW TRY AGAIN!"

Lark attempted the crystal technique that she had been trying to do for the last 5 hours, without success according to her grandmother. She was halfway through the technique when her grandmother spoke, "Your posture is all wrong, the power needs to _flow_ through you not be forced!" she snapped

Her words broke Lark's concentration and once again for the umpteenth time, the technique blew up in Lark's face. Lark collapsed to the ground hard after being blown back by the crystal explosion, the only reason she didn't suffer injury being the shielding crystal around her neck, a crystal her grandmother proceeded to snap off. "PATHETIC, USELESS, IDIOT!" she roared

"I'm sorry grandmother, please I'm trying really," Lark pleaded

But her grandmother was done listening and began to beat her, "When will you learn, you're the last hope for Cyclonia, are you going to let your people fall, would you let your father's death go un-avenged!?" she shouted

Lark curled up as her grandmother's blows came down with her harsh words, then Anarchis crossed a line, "I always believed you had your father's strength, now I see you're as weak as your mother was, wouldn't be surprised if you died in childbirth as well!" she shouted

Something snapped inside of Lark then, all her life, even through Anarchis's harsh lessons she had strived to be better, to always have a smile. Now though, her resolve finally cracked, _if she wants power, I'll give her power!_

Lark flung a hand towards her grandmother, setting off a blast of power which caused her grandmother to go flying back. The old woman collapsed to the ground, fetching up against the far wall, a number of Talons came running at the sound of the blast, what they saw haunts them to this day. Young sweet Lark was gone, in her place stood a dark and foreboding young woman, standing over her crippled grandmother. Then she spoke, in a voice that sent dark chills down the spines of everyone present, " _ **You are the weak one, old hag, you are no longer fit to lead, and in my father's name I hereby strip you of your title... I' am the storm, the Cyclone... I' AM MASTER CYCLONIS!"**_

Anarchis watched as the Talons present dropped to one knee, then the reality of what she had just done hit her full force, "W-what have I done..." she began coughing up blood, "Oh Corvin... I'm so sorry... so-" her words were cut off however as the light in her eyes died

Only then did Lark snap out of it, "Grandmother?" Lark asked, concern filling her voice, then she saw the dribble of blood coming from Anarchis's mouth and the dead eye's look, "Grandmother NO!" Lark screamed falling to her grandmother's side, she looked to the Talons, "Don't just stand there get help!" she cried, even as she held her grandmother's dead body in her arms

Time froze again as the spirit stood over the weeping Lark as she held her grandmother, across from him knelt Cyclonis, only 2 years older than her younger self at this point. _Long enough for the two sides to mix and fester, but thanks to what happened on Terra Tundras, they've begun to draw apart_

"She turned you into a weapon, a force of destruction, and it backfired on her, causing even more grief for you, and in that grief you lost yourself, retreating ever inward, your grandmother's harsh lessons the only thing keeping you going, it was one of the only things you had left of her," the spirit said

"No, she was just trying to get justice for father, that was all she wanted," Cyclonis replied

"And now you try to justify both her actions and yours," the spirit countered

"You're wrong!" Cyclonis shouted standing up, fists clenched, her eyes blazing

"I'm _never_ wrong... and to prove it," he swiped his hand as his spoke, and they were transported to several weeks later in the throne room, Lark's coronation

The whole place was packed with loyal Cyclonians, and seated on the throne was Lark – no – not Lark; this was the moment in which she became Cyclonis. Cyclonis watched as the Staff of Cyclonia was presented to her, which she proceeded to activate, creating a storm of lightning across the ceiling. "All hail Master Cyclonis!" one of the generals intoned, and it was taken up by everyone in the throne room, Cyclonis stared at herself as the chant filled the room, and saw the darkness in her own eyes, the same hate and anger that had filled her grandmother's eyes. Cyclonis gripped her head and screamed

* * *

 **That's a wrap folks, please leave a review if you like the story and as always constructive criticism is welcome, see you all next time ; )**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:** **I do not own Storm Hawks or anything associated with the show, this fanfic exists purely because I want it to, also, credit to the story's cover image goes to alienforceSH**

 **Hello all and welcome back, this is chapter 3... I didn't expect this one to be as long as it turned out to be, but, there were certain things that I wanted to have happen in this chapter so... Anyway, today's guest star for the second Spirit is none other than the adorable and beautiful Tinker Bell from Disney's Peter Pan (the animated one), don't worry she has dialogue, would be pretty difficult otherwise. Many of you have probably figured out where this story is headed by now, but I still think I did a good enough job on this chapter for it to be entertaining (just wait till we get to the next chapter, then the _real_ fun begins). Also just so we're clear, I like to think that Cyclonis has some form of ****Dissociative Identity Disorder (aka, Multiple Personality Disorder). This goes for her in general and not just in Fan Fiction (my own or otherwise) as we do see multiple mood swings from her throughout the show, ranging from just angry, to almost monstrous, as well as reminiscent. So I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that if some kind of tragic event did occur in Cyclonis's life, then it's fair to say she wouldn't really be right in the head, and could well have multiple sides to her personality**

 **But you didn't come here for a lesson on Psychology (snickers to self), you came here to read a kick ass story (pardon my language)**

 **Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers all, welcome back to... An Atmosian Tale**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: "That is why they call it a present"**

Cyclonis's eyes snapped open as she woke with a start, her breath coming in ragged gasps, her body covered in a light sheen of sweat. Then her eyes took in her room, safe and familiar, and she began to relax

 _A bad dream, it was only a bad dream_

But if it was, then it was a particularly _vivid_ dream, and accurate, everything about it that Cyclonis remembered had been spot on, and what she didn't remember she knew from what she'd been told or read. Her mother's death, the news about her father, her grandmother's harsh lessons... despite everything, she didn't resent her grandmother for what she had done, after all, Cyclonis had returned the action in kind and it had resulted in Anarchis's death. Indeed, Cyclonis still felt guilt over the action to this very day, but now she'd been able to view the events with a clearer perspective. Back then, she'd been afraid, angry and in pain – emotional if not physical – and those feelings had filled her mind so completely that she was unable to think clearly. The Spirit of Days gone by however had taken her back, had given her a very _visual_ reminder of what had happened, and Cyclonis had viewed it all from an observers perspective, with a clear head, and what she had seen...

 _I did become a monster, a force of destruction... I forgot who I was... who I' am..._

 _ **No, you ARE Master Cyclonis, the Storm, the Cyclone; you will sweep away ALL in your path and give Cyclonia the WORLD that is your destiny!**_

The voice was harsh and grating and caused Cyclonis to grip her head in pain, she recognized the voice from before, it had prompted her to begin searching for a way to get revenge on Piper. Was that it? Was this voice the darkness that her grandmother had caused to grow inside of her?

Cyclonis looked over to the door that led to the main room of her chambers, where her spell was

 _Do I_ _ **really**_ _want this? Is this the path I've_ _ **chosen**_ _... or simply the one I've been made to follow?_

She shook her head in an attempt to clear it, these thoughts were a weakness, the past was dead and gone, there was nothing she could do to bring it back and she was a fool to fall for the spirit's game so easily

 _It was just a dream, now go back to sleep, tomorrow I'll cast the spell and watch as it destroys Piper and her friends_

Oddly as Cyclonis lay back down to sleep, that thought no longer gave her the same satisfaction as it had while she had been crafting the spell. She ignored that however and was about to close her eyes, when a flickering light caught her attention, as did a voice

"Hmm, no not here, she must keep them somewhere... maybe over there?"

The moment Cyclonis heard the voice she tensed, who was in her room now

"No not here either, she must have some, I can't believe for a second that she doesn't have any," the voice said again

As Cyclonis listened, she realized that the voice sounded a lot like Piper; her anger began to rise again

 _That Skyknight is riffling through my things... how dare she!_

Cyclonis jumped out of bed and proceeded to grab a crystal which she used to flood the room with light, "So the Skyknight turns thief eh, we'll see how you like some time in the dungeons Piper!" Cyclonis exclaimed getting ready to fight, but Piper was nowhere to be seen, the room was empty except for Cyclonis. Cyclonis began looking around in confusion searching for Piper, when it became obvious however that Piper was not there, she sighed and gave up, turning back to the bed

"I think I need to stop working on crystals all night, their messing up my sleep pattern, _and_ making me hear things that aren't there," Cyclonis muttered to herself

"Quite possibly," said the voice again startling Cyclonis as a small bright light flew up to her so it was right in her face, "But then again, it's also not a good idea to go to bed angry, ruins a good night's sleep that does."

Cyclonis gave a cry as she jumped away from this strange talking light; however her foot got caught on the corner of her bedside table causing her to lose her balance and topple over, landing hard on her back. The strange light gave a giggle as it flitted above her "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to startle you," it said as it came to land on the bedside table Cyclonis had just tripped over. As it did, the light coming from it faded out a bit, allowing Cyclonis to see the source

It was a tiny person, wearing a green, strapless dress that came down to just above her knees, Cyclonis then started as she realized that the dress was made out of leaves, and that there was a pair of gossamer wings sprouting from this person's back. The little person smiled at her "Hello Cyclonis, pleased to meet you, I'm the Spirit of This day, but you can call me Gift," she said cheerily

Cyclonis now frowned as she sat up, "Gift?" she asked, "What kind of name is that?"

"My name, and it fits because of what I' am," the little pixie replied

Cyclonis continued to frown, "I don't get it."

Gift sighed, "have you ever heard the saying 'Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift, that is why they call it a present'?"

Cyclonis blinked, she'd heard of it yes, but had never really given it much thought before, now that she did, she realized that it made sense. Then Cyclonis fully processed everything Gift had said, "Wait a minute, you're not with those _other_ two are you?" Cyclonis asked wearily

Gift giggled again, "Oh you mean Arygyn and History, yea they're friends of mine, History is a bit uptight though, and _incredibly_ egocentric, believing the whole universe revolves around him, saying things like 'The past shapes the future, which is why it must be remembered and learned from'," Gift laughed

Cyclonis couldn't help but laugh along with her, until she remembered _why_ this little pixie was here, "So you've come to tell me to not cast my spell as well have you?" she stated

Gift gave a small smile, "No silly, I know I can't convince you to do that, no one can," she said, that cheerful happy smile that reminded Cyclonis so much of Piper plastered on her face

"Then... _why_ are you here?" Cyclonis asked confused

Here Gift leapt off the bedside table and into the air again, flitting around happily, "To remind you of what is truly important in life and show you everything you've been missing out on," she explained happily

Now Cyclonis raised an eyebrow, "Missing out on?"

"Yes, like fun, jokes, cake, sweets... oh and games, can't forget about games... then there's a good book, that's relaxing as well as fun... in short, _living_ ," Gift explained as she danced through the air

Cyclonis rolled her eyes as she stood back up, "I don't have time for such things, I'm the ruler of Terra Cyclonia, I have a war to run and an enemy to defeat... besides, such frivolous things are a waste of time anyway," Cyclonis replied

Gift puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, "Frivolous! What are you talking about, without these things what's the point to life," she exclaimed

Cyclonis waved her off however as she made her way back to bed, "There's plenty of point to my life without those things thank you very much, now if you could kindly leave so I can get some sleep..." but Cyclonis didn't get to finish as Gift flew straight into her face again, her aura now a little red

"You might be alive and believe you have a purpose, but you're _not_ living, you're just going through a routine, day by day, wake up, find a way to conquer Atmos and destroy the Skyknights, enact a plan, whoops plan failed, go to bed, rinse and repeat the following morning," Gift stated, "That might be a life, but it's _not_ living... living is spending time with friends, laughing and having fun, every day is a gift remember so treat it as such and don't just discard it idly."

The last part of Gift's speech was said with a passion that Cyclonis had never come across before, her aura changed as well, from red to blue as she spoke

Cyclonis stared at her a moment, before looking away, "You don't understand, I have duties, responsibilities, I can't just abandon them."

"I'm not telling you to, but everyone, even the Storm Hawks, always find some time in their day to just relax and be themselves and have fun," Gift replied, "Even your father, who was Master Cyclonis before you always found time to spend with you... you can as well."

Now Cyclonis looked back at Gift, "How?" she asked

Gift smiled here, "I was hoping you would ask, quickly get dressed there's somewhere I want to take you," she said

Now Cyclonis raised an eyebrow, Gift just giggled in response, "Don't worry, it won't take long, just till the end of the day... then I'll leave you be," the last part was said with a small hint of sadness entering Gift's voice. Cyclonis wondered if she should ask about that, but Gift quickly shook it off as a happy smile returned to her face, "Come on get dressed, you don't want people to see you in your pj's do you?"

Cyclonis gave a tired sigh, she had a feeling that one way or another this spirit would get her to wherever she wanted to take her, and the last thing she wanted was for anyone to see _Master Cyclonis_ in her nightwear. So she started getting dressed, but as soon as she did, Gift interrupted "No not those dreary things!" she exclaimed

Cyclonis looked down at her royal robes, then looked up at Gift slightly annoyed, "What do you mean not these, these are my clothes!?" she said testily

"I meant something casual, you know, shirt and skirt, or maybe you prefer trousers, I don't know, just not _those_ ," Gift explained

Cyclonis rolled her eyes, "Well this is all I have," she replied

Gift shook her head and sighed, "Arygyn was right, we have a lot of work to do, and not much time."

Cyclonis raised an eyebrow in confusion and was about to say something when Gift spoke again, while flitting about her, "Well we'll just have to improvise, a touch here, a tuck there..." as she flitted from point to point about Cyclonis, Gift would wave her hands about, and some dust would be scattered over Cyclonis

"What are you doing!?" Cyclonis exclaimed, trying to follow Gift's movements

"Sorting out your new outfit for the day, now hold still," Gift replied before flitting back up so she was in front of Cyclonis about a foot away, "That should do it," as she spoke she waved her hand one last time, causing a cascade of dust to begin to fall over Cyclonis. As the dust began to settle, Cyclonis's clothes began changing, from the royal robes to an outfit that more closely resembled the one Piper wore. There were a couple of differences, for instance, the collar had a line of fur, and it was a different colour, more dark blues and violets than the light blue and orange of Piper's outfit

Gift examined her work, a broad smile on her face, then she flitted towards a nearby mirror, "Have a look," she said

Cyclonis followed hesitantly, then caught sight of her reflection, and it took her breath away, it reminded Cyclonis of the disguise she'd had while infiltrating the _Condor_ , but this one was more _her_. Instead of the light and bright colours, the clothes had darker shades that complimented Cyclonis's natural look more and matched her hair colour, she certainly wouldn't have gotten away with these colours and the blond hair she had sported while infiltrating the _Condor_ , it wouldn't have looked right.

Gift then appeared in her vision again, "Just a couple of finishing touches and I think we'll be ready." Gift waved her hand in front of Cyclonis's face this time, the dust appeared again, disorienting Cyclonis for a second, once she had recovered, she looked back at her reflection, and her mouth dropped open. Her hair, while still the same colour, had been styled so it now no longer hid her face through the use of a neatly done bun at the back of her head. The style the bun had been done in kept it from looking out of place on her young features. The dark rings around her eyes were also gone... well not entirely, but they were reduced giving them a more natural look and accentuating her eyes, rather than overpower them... Cyclonis took in her new look, and she had to admit, she liked what she saw

"There, finished, now we can go," Gift said, as she flung her hands into the air, causing dust to begin cascading around them both

"Heh wait a minute, where are you taking me!?" Cyclonis exclaimed as the two of them began to disappear from the room

Gift smiled, "To make some friends and hang out, you need it, it'll be a good learning experience," she replied

Cyclonis watched as her room disappeared around her, and was slowly replaced by... "Terra Neon!" Cyclonis exclaimed as the amusement Terra appeared around them

"Yep," Gift replied, "It's the perfect place to find and make friends."

Cyclonis looked at Gift incredulously as she ducked behind a nearby stand, "But it's an _Atmosian_ Terra, and I'm an _enemy_ of Atmos, if I'm seen I'll be arrested or worse!" Cyclonis hissed

Gift gave a huff, "You really think I'd be that stupid," she replied. Cyclonis looked at her confused as Gift continued, "I put a spell on the entire Terra, anyone on the Terra for the duration of this day will _not_ recognize you as Master Cyclonis, even if they spot you from off the Terra, the moment they land and get closer to you, the spell will immediately take effect," Gift explained, then gestured off to her left away from Cyclonis towards the edge of the Terra, "Case in point."

Cyclonis looked in the direction of her gesture and felt her stomach drop, there coming straight for her was Piper of the Storm Hawks, the others following Piper hadn't noticed Cyclonis yet, but Piper had, and she did _not_ look happy as her heliscooter made straight for her

 _Crap, what do I do, what do I do!?_

Cyclonis quickly looked to Gift to ask for help, but the little Pixie was gone, "Gift? Gift!?" Cyclonis called, as she looked around frantically

Any further search however was put on hold as Piper's heliscooter landed and skid to a halt in front of Cyclonis, kicking up dust as it did. Cyclonis flinched, preparing for the worst as Piper's look of fury drew in closer... then nothing. Cyclonis looked back and saw a look of confusion on Piper's face, then one of panic, "Oh Atmos I'm _so_ sorry, I didn't mean to startle you like that, I thought you were someone else," Piper began to say quickly

Cyclonis felt a small flutter in her chest at the sound of Piper's voice, though she mistook that for the adrenaline rush of nearly being run over or captured. Then she heard Gift's voice inside her head, _"Score one for the Pixie, and for the record Cyclonis, if you have anything you want to ask me, just think it."_

 _"Good to know"_ , Cyclonis replied, relieved that Gift's spell had actually worked, then turned to Piper, "No don't worry about it it's fine really," Cyclonis replied, wanting desperately to get away and calm her still frantically beating heart

"But I almost ran you over, that's not just something that can be let go, let me make it up to you somehow," Piper said as she quickly dismounted from the bike

"No really its fine, I've got to go now anyway so don't worry about it," Cyclonis said hurriedly as she quickly stepped around Piper's heliscooter and made to put as much distance between herself and the blue haired Skyknight as she possibly could

" _Heh, what do you think you're doing young lady, get back there!"_ Gift snapped

" _No,_ _ **anyone**_ _but them, didn't History tell you how things turned out with them just **yesterday** ," _Cyclonis replied

" _They don't recognize you, there's nothing to be afraid of, think of this as a do over, a chance to do the whole friend thing right,"_ Gift said

" _I don't_ _ **want**_ _any friends, now just leave me alone!"_ Cyclonis shouted back in her head

" _HISTORY!"_ Gift called, and before Cyclonis could brace herself, a flashback of Terra Tundras hit her

" _You can act all tough and destroy the world, but you can't hide who you really are, a lonely girl who_ _ **desperately**_ _wants a friend."_

Piper's words reverberated around in Cyclonis's head, and the only thing she could think about was that it was true. Since losing her father, all she'd ever wanted was a friend, her grandmother certainly hadn't played with her or spent time with her after that point, outside of the lessons she forced upon Cyclonis. So for that entire decade she'd been lonely, and that loneliness had eaten away at her, so when she'd heard about Piper from her subordinates reports... a spark of hope had lit inside of her, a hope, that Piper could be the friend she was looking for

Any further thought in the matter was ended however when Cyclonis felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked round to see Piper standing next to her, looking at her concerned. "Heh are you _sure_ you're okay?" she asked

Cyclonis nodded and replied, "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

Piper reached forward and captured a tear that had been sliding down Cyclonis's cheek, "This for one," she said, indicating the tear

Cyclonis quickly turned from Piper, and wiped the rest of her tears away. "Look I'm really sorry okay, just let me make it up to you," Piper said, her tone sounding so genuine that Cyclonis was drawn to it; she just wanted to turn around, collapse into Piper's arms and cry, to confess, apologize and beg for forgiveness.

" _Stop running, this is what you've wanted since you were little, and you still have a chance to have it, even if it's only for a day,"_ Gift said soothingly

Cyclonis felt the tears threatening to spill over again, then some new voices joined the conversation. "Heh Piper, what's going on?" Aerrow asked as he and the other Storm Hawks joined them

"Yea who's your friend?" Finn asked, his usual cocky self

"Oh I just met her... almost ran into her," Piper replied – the last part added with an embarrassed look

"Ran into her... with your heliscooter... is she all right?" Junko asked concerned

"I'm fine" Cyclonis replied tersely

Aerrow and the other's gave her an odd look, before Aerrow turned back to Piper, "How and or why did you run into her?" he asked

Piper's look became even _more_ embarrassed, "I... thought she was Master Cyclonis for a second," she explained

"Not surprising, after the stunt that women pulled yesterday, can't imagine you'd be very happy to see her again so soon," Stork replied

The flash of anger that crossed Piper's face cut Cyclonis deep, but she didn't blame Piper for it, _I hurt her, badly, she has every right to hate me_

"Guys come on we're here to forget about yesterday and have some fun, relax," Aerrow stated, before turning to Cyclonis, "Your welcome to join us... um" Aerrow trailed off as he realised he didn't know her name

 _Ironic, we've already met, but because he doesn't recognize me..._ Cyclonis thought before replying. Her tongue automatically began to sound the C at the start of her name, as it did Cyclonis realised she couldn't say her real name – would kind of defeat the purpose of Gift's spell – so instead she came out with, "Cecilia."

Aerrow smiled and was about to reply when a ball of blue fur suddenly appeared in front of Cyclonis standing on a stack of boxes. It was Radarr, he did _not_ look happy. Cyclonis tensed as he began point at her while doing Lark impressions, the others however just looked at him confused

" _Crap I forgot, spells this complex don't work on animals,"_ Gift hissed

" _What why not?"_ Cyclonis asked concerned

" _They're animal instincts are too strong, they see through them... don't worry though, the others are still under the effects, when I get a moment I'll have a word with him,"_ Gift explained

The Storm Hawks continued to be confused by what Radarr was doing, and when he became frustrated he turned aggressive towards Cyclonis. Piper however intervened, "Radarr, come on, Cyclonis is the _last_ person who would try the same plan twice the very _next_ day, cool off."

 _Oh the irony_ Cyclonis thought to herself, mentally face palming, while Gift just giggled with glee

Radarr looked at the other Storm Hawks incredulously, then Aerrow spoke, "Look buddy, you were right yesterday, we all admit that, but Piper has a point, there's no way Cyclonis would come at us again _this_ soon," he said, the others all murmuring agreement. Radarr, just frowned angrily and began walking off, as the others turned towards Cyclonis – who was the only one who still had vision of the Lemur Rabbit – she saw a small trail of gold dust move to Radarr

"Sorry about that," Aerrow apologized, "Like I said earlier, you're welcome to join us, after all, amusement parks are much better when you get to spend your time there with others." This was met with more agreement

"Thank you really... but I can't, I've got some important stuff to do and-" but Cyclonis was cut off as Piper interrupted her

"Oh come on _please_ , I have to make up almost running you over _somehow_ and this is perfect, how often is it that you get to spend time at Terra Neon anyway, the most _fun_ Terra in the Atmos," she exclaimed as she took hold of Cyclonis's arm and practically _dragged_ her through the gates into the Terra proper

"No wait, it's really no big deal, there's no need for you to feel like you owe me!" Cyclonis replied, her heart running a million miles an hour

"Nonsense, I'm a Skyknight, I can't just overlook almost running someone over, otherwise it's just _asking_ for trouble, besides, it'll be a blast!" Piper replied

" _Gift, help me!"_ Cyclonis hissed

Gift giggled as Cyclonis caught sight of her on Radarr's shoulder – the little blue fuzz ball looked thoroughly _peeved_ , but seemed to have calmed down – _"Sorry Cyclonis, you're on your own from here on out, good luck, have fun!"_ Gift called waving as Cyclonis was dragged by her worst enemy and one time friend, flanked and followed by that friend's team, into Terra Neon

It was in short, a hectic day, and Cyclonis only remembered small snippets. They had gone on one of the smaller coasters first, and while it was clear the Storm Hawks had at least _been_ on a roller-coaster before – even if it wasn't the ones at Terra Neon – for Cyclonis it was a first, and she'd been _terrified_. She remembered thinking before she got on – or rather was _pushed_ on by Piper – _this thing can't possibly be safe, I mean, how does the whole thing not shake apart?_

After finishing her first ride however, they arrived back in the station with Cyclonis panting from a mixture of fear and adrenaline. It had taken her all of 15 seconds to say "Again?" The Storm Hawks had been instantly supportive of her question, and with the line being short they had rushed immediately to the back of the Que. This resulted in a moment of pure hilarity for Cyclonis and the others, when Finn attempted to take a short cut over the railings and ended up tripping and falling face first into an older girl ahead of them in the Que – one guess as to where his _initial_ fall ended – the girl had then proceeded to jump away from Finn – who fell the rest of the way to the ground – who stood back up, and then received a vicious _slap_ to the face.

The whole scenario had Cyclonis and the other Storm Hawks rolling around in fits of laughter at Finn's clumsiness, bad luck and pain. The next ride after their second go on the roller-coaster was a pendulum ride, again having _no_ experience with rides whatsoever, the looming metal colossus filled her with terror as it swung up and down, side to side and even completely over, turning the riders upside down before righting itself. Once again however, after being encouraged to go on by both the Storm Hawks _and_ Gift, Cyclonis found herself enjoying the ride. The adrenaline rush coming faster this time and leaving her just as breathless, in addition, since she was sat across from Piper this time – who was strapped into the seat in front of her – she was able to see _her_ expressions of joy, giddiness and terror, and no doubt, Piper could see Cyclonis's face display these emotions too.

Next they decided to get lunch; they found a burger joint that also did other things like fish and chips, pizza and so forth. Junko of course went for the _biggest_ burger on the menu – and then asked if it could be _"super-sized"_ – Stork ordered a salad, though it was a large salad and did include bite sized portions of meats, as well as olives and dates. Finn and Aerrow ordered the super deluxe pizza, one half pepperoni for Finn the other with ham for Aerrow – Aerrow also shared his half with Radar, while Finn would inevitably give half of his to Junko – When Piper examined the menu, something caught her eye and she insisted that Cyclonis just had to try it, but wouldn't say what it was – she also made sure Cyclonis couldn't read her menu when she showed the waiter what it was they wanted to order – When their food arrived, Cyclonis was shocked when a massive pot of melted cheese was put in front of her and Piper, along with two baskets of stale bread cubes – the bread cubes had actually arrived first, giving Cyclonis her doubts as to what Piper had ordered – Of course the meal was a fondue, and it smelled _heavenly_

Everyone began digging in, the food was delicious in _every_ sense of the word, and they even swapped bites to try out everyone else's meals. By the end of lunch they were all joking and laughing, Cyclonis actually found that she had more in common with the Storm Hawks than she initially realised. For example, she hadn't known that most of them were orphans as well – while Cyclonis did tell them that she no longer had a family, she was smart enough to not reveal the whole truth, but neither did she lie about anything – they didn't get bogged down in the depressing topics though and moved on to other things. Even Radarr was beginning to warm up to Cyclonis, after all, he was the only one who knew who she _really_ was, and he could tell that she was changing, little by little.

After lunch, they decided to go on a ride that wouldn't cause them to up-chuck all the food they'd just eaten, so they settled on a water ride. The ride involved guests sitting in large ring boats that were floated along the current and had large circular rubber cushions around the edge to bounce them off the sides of the artificial river and any obstacles in their way. While it didn't have the same kind of adrenaline rush, it was by far the most _fun_ ride yet, each and every one of them got soaked by the ride – thank Atmos it was a warm, sunny day – Cyclonis managed to stay dry right up until the end – having a good laugh at the other's expense along the way – where the whole team used their combined weight to turn the boat so that Cyclonis past straight underneath the last waterfall, _completely_ soaking her. As well as the Storm Hawks laughter, Cyclonis was also able to make out Gift losing it in the back of her mind as the little pixie _roared_ with laughter. Strangely, Cyclonis wasn't mad about the whole thing, firstly, because she had had a good laugh when _they_ got soaked, and secondly, because it felt _good_ , so good that she was soon laughing along with them – after glaring at them hard of course, but that didn't last long – After that they spent some time around the stands, they got cotton candy, ice cream, Finn went and won the whole team prizes at a shooting gallery game.

They each chose a prize from what was on offer, Cyclonis chose a model skimmer – but only because there weren't enough points left to get the big stuffed cat plush – at which point, Piper gave up her choice and entered the game herself, the combo of giving up her prize and scoring nearly as well as Finn allowed her to claim the cat plush, which she gave to Cyclonis. That was the point where Cyclonis felt her heart break, even though they didn't know who she _really_ was, the Storm Hawks were still spending time with her, laughing with her, having fun with her. She felt guilt begin to creep up inside of her at hiding her identity from them, as she did; she received a warning from Gift

" _Later Cyclonis, you can tell them later, in a way that won't shock them, if you tell them now and break the spell, they'll likely turn away from you at best... attack you, at worst,"_ she cautioned

" _I know,"_ Cyclonis replied, _"But I_ _ **will**_ _tell them... one day."_

The final ride of the day was the _biggest_ roller-coaster on the Terra, even though the day was drawing to a close there was still a long Que, not massive, but long, long enough for Cyclonis to talk with Piper while the guys were distracted

"Heh, can I ask you something Piper?" Cyclonis asked, while clutching the plush that Piper won for her

Piper gave her a small smile, "Sure," she replied

"Why are you all so friendly with me, I mean, you only just met me today, and with what you told me about what happened yesterday... well it just sounds like trusting strangers would be something you're not inclined to do right now, thanks to past experiences?" Cyclonis said

Piper blinked at that, then looked down at her feet as she leant against the railing while they waited in the Que, clearly deep in thought, then she spoke. "Yea, it's true, Cyclonis did rattle me, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hurt by what happened," she began – Cyclonis felt a small stab of pain like she had earlier back at the entrance – "But I can't just let one bad experience stop me from making friends, after all, friends are what's most important in life," Piper continued

Cyclonis frowned in confusion at this, "I thought you would have said your duty to Atmos is what's most important in life, I mean, when you consider what you're up against," she replied

Piper sighed and now turned to look up at the sky, "Yea I suppose my duty to Atmos _is_ important and I don't neglect it, but that duty would mean _nothing_ without my friends."

"What do you mean?" Cyclonis asked, still confused

Now Piper looked at Cyclonis, smiling as she did, "My friends are the reason I fight, are the thing that gives me the _strength_ to fight, and not just these lovable buffoons," she stated, gesturing to the guys for the last part, "I have friends on other Terra's, some of them are Skyknights, others are just civilians, but _all_ of them are an important part of _why_ I fight." Piper turned to look at the sky again, "Whenever I feel out of my depth, or outmatched, in trouble or pain... I just think of all the people depending on me to win, and it's the same with my team, we all draw strength from each other and our other friends and comrades spread across Atmos."

Cyclonis stared at Piper for a moment stunned, the passion with which Piper had spoke was undeniable, and truthfully, she had seen _exactly_ what Piper was talking about on Terra Tundras. Her thoughts were broken though when Piper put a hand on her shoulder, "I guess my answer to your question is, 'Even if making friends sometimes gets you hurt, you _can't_ give up and stop, because you never know who might be around the next corner'."

Cyclonis smiled at that, but inside she felt terrible, _"I'm tricking her again, lying to her... I can't do this, if she ever finds out, and she_ _ **will**_ _-"_

Gift interrupted her though, _"This isn't like last time, last time you were_ _ **acting**_ _the part of a friend, this time you're actually_ _ **being**_ _a friend. You're listening, learning, experiencing, not just reciting lines or doing what you think is_ _ **expected**_ _, you're behaving naturally. Even if Piper does find out, that's something she can't deny, which means when she does find out, she'll know that today, she got to see the_ _ **real**_ _you."_

Gift's words helped, but Cyclonis still felt terrible, she wanted _so_ desperately to just reveal who she was to the Storm Hawks, despite knowing that doing so would be the _worst_ thing she could do. Gift's reassurance however finally won the day, and Cyclonis held her tongue, but was even more resolved to tell at least Piper _everything_ when this was over

 _Assuming of course I'm not just dreaming_

Then they reached the front of the Que and got on the ride, like the first coaster, it was a _huge_ adrenaline rush and Cyclonis laughed and screamed with joy and fear respectively as the coaster rushed along the tracks with the rest of them. Once they got off the day was coming to a close and most of the attractions were shutting up for the night, some of the more quiet ones remained open though. Cyclonis and the Storm Hawks spent a couple hours in the arcade, playing games like Air Hockey or Shoot Off, they went and got snacks for dinner and lastly caught a movie at the local theater. After leaving the theater, they began making their way back to where they'd met, at the entrance to Terra Neon

"What a day," Aerrow sighed as they approached their skimmers

"You can say that again, just what the doctor ordered," Finn agreed

Junko gave a big yawn, "Yea it was fun, we should come here more often."

"Ah if only it was so, if only the Atmos were at peace and had no need for Skyknights... but then of course, we'd have no money... no skimmers... and no ship," Stork stated

Everyone had a good laugh at that, then Piper turned to Cyclonis, "So Cecilia, where you staying?" she asked

"Oh you don't have to worry about me, I'll find somewhere," she replied, having already wished the subject wouldn't go here

"You mean you don't have a place already?" Aerrow asked surprised

"It's okay I'll fly or catch a ride to the nearest Terra, I'm sure I can find an Inn there somewhere

Piper shook her head, "No way, the Terra Neon region is dangerous at night, that's why they have places on the sub Terra's around it for people to stay in, besides, by the time you reach the nearest Terra, it'll be nearly dawn, even in a cruiser." The others all nodded in agreement

"I'll be fine guys really, you've done enough for me, it's been really fun, I enjoyed myself..." but Cyclonis trailed off as she felt pain come from Gift

" _Gift, what's wrong?"_ Cyclonis asked

" _You need to hide, quickly, my strength is failing, the spell will disintegrate soon,"_ Gift replied

Cyclonis felt fear grip her stomach and send chills up her spine, but before she could look for a way out Piper spoke, "We've got plenty of room on the _Condor_ you can spend the night with us, and we'll drop you wherever you want to go tomorrow."

"No!" Cyclonis cried, then caught herself and added "Thank you, really you've done enough... I have to go now," with that she turned and ran right back through the still open gates, pushing past some of the last departing guests. A couple of park security shouted after her, and then Piper who followed Cyclonis into the park

Cyclonis – unaware of Piper's pursuit – quickly ducked behind a stand set up near the wall of one of the buildings. Gift then speckled into view in front of her, and began to fall. Cyclonis caught her as she descended to her knees, gently holding the small Pixie, Gift was no longer glowing with an inner light, instead she was dully flickering, no, dying. "Gift, Gift what's wrong?" Cyclonis asked, concern filling her tones

Gift just smiled, "This day is coming to an end and soon a new one will begin, when that happens, this day will belong to History, which means there is no place for me."

Cyclonis felt a cold chill come over her at those words, "You're dying!?" she exclaimed

"I only live for a single day, as have all my sisters before me, as will all my sisters after me, everyday is a gift, how can we hope to teach that, if we do not treasure _every_ moment of a day ourselves," Gift replied

Cyclonis felt helpless as she held the dying Pixie, "No please, there must be something I can do, too many I care about have died in my life, there has to be _something_ I can do!?" Cyclonis begged

Gift's smile became wider, "So you do care, that's good, it means I did my job... never forget what you've learned today Cyclonis... Yesterday is History... Tomorrow is a Mystery..."

"But Today is a Gift," Cyclonis finished, tears streaming down her cheeks

Gift smiled and nodded as a cascade of dust began to descend upon them, as they began to disappear, Cyclonis looked up, straight into the eyes of Piper at the end of the alley, a look of utter shock and disbelief on her face which could only mean _one_ thing, _the spell wore off just after she found me_ , Cyclonis thought. Before the dust caused her to disappear from the alley completely, Cyclonis mouthed some final words to Piper, "I'm sorry."

* * *

 **Everyone, a moment of silence for our dearly departed Pixie (takes off hat and holds it against chest).**

 **So chapter 3, hope you guys enjoyed it, I actually shed a few tears writing this one (sniff), anyway, I wanted to have Terra Neon be the place where this Spirit Lesson went down for a couple reasons. 1. It's really underused in the show (I think twice in all, then again, that goes for most of the Terra's), as such it means that we never quite see all of it, only small portions, I like to think that it is a full on amusement park like Disney World or Universal Studios. 2. What better place to have fun and make friends than the most _fun_ place in the entire Atmos**

 **Finally some of you may recognize Gift's quote near the start (Top marks to those who can give me the answer of where it's from in their reviews), as well as being incredibly fitting for what Gift wanted to teach Cyclonis, the quote is also where I finally thought of the names for the spirits beyond their roles. So History is the Spirit of Day's gone by, Gift is the Spirit of This day, and our final guest star, Mystery, is the spirit of Days yet to come, Past, Present and Future**

 **Anyway, please leave a review (PLEASE PLEASE LEAVE ONE THE REVIEW BOX IS _STILL_ EMPTY, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET BETTER IF YOU GUYS DON'T TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!) if you like this story and as always constructive criticism is welcome, see you all next time ; ) **


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER:** **I do not own Storm Hawks or anything associated with the show, this fanfic exists purely because I want it to, also, credit to the story's cover image goes to alienforceSH**

 **This is a short one (karma for how long the last one was), however I'm really happy with how it turned out as we have a SONG in this chapter. I did a little bit of experimenting with this one and include what was happening visually with the lyrics of the song as there's only one person saying any lines in the song, so I've just made it their dialogue (all the dialogue in bold and italics are the lyrics of the song). Speaking of the singer, please welcome our final guest star playing the Spirit of Days yet to come (aka Mystery), Raven Roth from the Teen Titans. For those who know where this story is going, this is the chapter you've been waiting for (lets face it, in the original story, this part was by far the best... and creepiest), the song was also my original inspiration for this story as it fits so well with Cyclonis, but enough of me rambling, certainly don't want the authors note to be longer than the chapter now do we, so]**

 **Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers all, welcome back to... An Atmosian Tale**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: "I see a cold wind blowing through."**

Terra Neon disappeared, Cyclonis expected to reappear back in her room, instead, she now found herself on a frozen ice ball of a Terra. The wind was howling around her, snow coming down in sheets pelting her face and below freezing temperatures. Despite her new outfit that was more built for the cold, Cyclonis was soon shivering

"Why would Gift send me here?" Cyclonis muttered as she began walking, trying to see her way through the thick snow to find some form of civilization or shelter

After walking a ways Cyclonis was battered by a strong breeze, she braced herself against the wind, once it had died down she looked up, to see a figure standing in front of her. The figure was dressed in a dark blue, hooded cloak; her face shrouded in darkness, but from her hood shone two red, slanted eyes.

"Who are you?" Cyclonis asked

"Some call me Mystery, you may know me as the Spirit of Days yet to come." The figure spoke in a resonant tone that echoed in the air around them, as it introduced itself, a dark shadow seemed to cross over them both

Cyclonis knew this was yet another spirit sent to convince her to abandon her plan for revenge, but there was something about this spirit that sent her skin crawling. Cyclonis didn't know what it was, but she just had this feeling that this spirit was the most powerful of them all, as such; Cyclonis's next words were said carefully, and with respect

"Are you here to show me what the future of Atmos is like?" Cyclonis asked

"No, for Atmos no longer has a future for me to show," Mystery replied

Confused, Cyclonis asked her next question, "Why not?"

"You will succeed in your plot for revenge, as you wished!" Mystery replied, as she did, the shadows covering her face lifted away, and Cyclonis saw pale grey skin and dark violet hair that stopped about her shoulders, the red eyes also split, from two, into four.

Cyclonis was now thoroughly spooked, "And what happens?"

The wind suddenly changed, and the area around them became revealed, Cyclonis felt her breath catch in her throat. She had assumed she was on Terra Blizzaris, or somewhere similar, but that was not the case. She was in fact, in one of the residential districts of _Terra Atmosia_

 **"** _ **I see a cold wind blowing through,"** _

The change in the wind revealed more and more houses and trees, all buried in snow so deep they were almost completely covered

 **" _I see days neither fun nor free,"_**

Cyclonis caught sight of several kids' toys and other everyday items sticking out of the snow, abandoned, and forgotten. Then she turned back to face Mystery

 **" _I see a future caused by you!"_**

Mystery pointed an accusing finger at Cyclonis who began backing away terrified, but stopped abruptly when she reached a cliff edge

 **" _I see a path not meant to be."_**

A strong and brutal gust of wind came up from below the edge, grazing Cyclonis as she staggered back towards Mystery, who turned away from her, and began waving her hands in the air in front of her, as she did, wisps of blue energy began swirling around her hands

 **" _The future should be filled with magic,"_**

Mystery cast the wisps forward and they formed two people, a man and a woman, who began dancing together

 **" _Dreams and wishes, brought to life,"_**

The two dancing figures bowed to one another as Mystery moved between them and Cyclonis, her red eyes boring into the Crystal Mage

 **" _But the days ahead are dark and tragic,"_**

Mystery turned back to the dancing figures as Cyclonis began walking towards them

 **" _No time for hope when all is strife!"_**

With a flick of her hand, Mystery caused the dancing figures to be blown away by the wind, and then turned her attention back to Cyclonis

 **" _Whatever might have been, all the dreams that people share, because of you Cyclonis, now the future is a cold nightmare!"_**

As Mysteries words reached a crescendo, the wind changed yet again, now several swirls formed around them both, and through them far off places around the Atmos were shown, one of them was Cyclonia. Tower Cyclonia, Cyclonis's ancestral home lay in ruins, and what little land the Terra possessed was buried in snow. The worst however, was yet to come, the swirling windows suddenly disappeared and the wind lifted to reveal the source. Away in the distance, was the _Condor_ , wrecked on a stand of rock, just off Terra Atmosia, and the blizzard which had claimed Atmos swirled around it. The ship of the Storm Hawk's, was the eye of the storm, which meant only one thing.

Cyclonis fell to her knees, _this is my fault, I did this, I cast the spell and created a storm which destroyed all of Atmos_

"This-this isn't what I wanted, this can't be happening, it has to be a dream... I DIDN'T WANT THIS!" Cyclonis shouted

" _Oh but I did,"_ Cyclonis blinked as she recognized her own voice, and turned to see another version of her, just wearing the Cyclonian royal robes. The doppelganger Cyclonis had a smug, satisfied smirk on her face, as she turned to face the real Cyclonis. _"We destroyed the Storm Hawks and ALL of the Skyknights, finally victory is ours,"_ she sneered

Cyclonis felt the anger grow inside of her and leapt to her feat, all the while, Mystery looked on passively. "At what cost, Cyclonia is gone, our home!" Cyclonis shouted, cold forgotten

" _A trivial sacrifice,"_ the doppelganger replied

"Sacrifice!?" Cyclonis exclaimed, then her eyes hardened and she rushed the doppelganger fist raised, but the doppelganger disappeared the moment Cyclonis reached it. Cyclonis began looking around frantically for it, then a new voice arrived, one that sent chills that had nothing to do with the blizzard up her spine

" _Are you happy now? Are you finally satisfied now that you've destroyed the entire world!?"_

Cyclonis turned slowly, to see Piper standing behind her, the look on Piper's face was not one of fury, Cyclonis could have handled fury. Instead, it was a look of disappointment, Cyclonis could tell that Piper now considered her _worse_ than a monster, Piper now saw her as a waste of life. "Piper please, you have to believe me, this isn't what I wanted, you're my friend," Cyclonis pleaded

" _And yet you still cast your spell to destroy me, the Storm Hawks and ALL of Atmos, save it Cyclonis, you're not worth my pity anymore. I thought after Terra Neon, there might be some good in you, a spark that I'd missed on Terra Tundras. Turns out I was wrong the whole time about you... you're a conceited little brat who doesn't care about anyone or anything but herself, not even her own people."_ Piper's words were like a dagger to the heart, and Cyclonis broke down in tears as she sank to her knees once again

Cyclonis stayed there sobbing as the wind swirled around her, then she felt hands on her shoulders, she looked up, straight into the eyes of her grandmother, she was smiling. "Grandmother?" Cyclonis said confused as to why she was here

" _Well done Lark, you've made me so proud, you destroyed the Skyknights, you avenged your father, you truly are my granddaughter, strong, uncompromising, and relentless. Atmos will BOW at your feet, or be destroyed!"_

Cyclonis's eyes widened in horror, for as her grandmother spoke, she began to change, turn younger, until she reached the same age as Cyclonis. Once that happened, Cyclonis felt like she was looking in a mirror, what made it worse, was she could see the darkness in her grandmother's eyes, the swirling hate and malice that had lain dormant inside her until Corvin's death. Cyclonis could take no more, she screamed, and kept screaming, as the storm closed in once more.

* * *

 **That's a wrap for now you guys, hope you enjoyed and yes I'm aware that it is VERY short compared to other chapters I've put out, both for this story and others, but I already have a plan in my head for each chapter and this was just where this one cuts off. Don't worry, next chapter will be longer and will bring this story to a close, then it's straight back to "The Storm and the Hawk" for me, I've left it long enough and hopefully some new inspiration will hit me for the story  
**

 **Anyway, if your liking THIS story, please leave a review, and as always constructive criticism is welcome, and I will see you all next time ; )**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Storm Hawks or anything associated with the show, this fanfic exists purely because I want it to, also, credit to the story's cover image goes to alienforceSH**

 **Well chapter 5 here it is, a tame chapter, basically almost an epilogue to the story, but then again, that's how it felt in the original version of this story, still hope you guys enjoy it and I really have nothing more to say so I don't really feel a need to put a note at the end of the chapter, so I'll just get everything out the way here**

 **If you enjoyed this story please feel free to leave a review (PLEASE DO I'M BEGGING YOU), and as always constructive criticism is welcome, next upload from me will be chapter 5 of "The Storm and the Hawk" see you then ; )**

 **Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers all, welcome back to... An Atmosian Tale**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: "What day is it?"**

Cyclonis woke with a jolt as the sound of a stiff breeze filled the room, she looked over to her balcony to see that the door to it had somehow come open, judging by how cold it now was, it had been open for some time

 _A dream, it was just a dream_ , Cyclonis thought relieved

Suddenly a knocking came from her door, along with a familiar voice, "Master Cyclonis, are you alright, I've been told you've been in there all day?" said Dark Ace, his voice tinged with concern

It was at that point that Cyclonis noticed something sitting on a chair by the door to her room; she quickly got up, closed the balcony door and went over to the chair. On it was the outfit that Gift had made for her, and a note

Dark Ace's voice interrupted Cyclonis's thoughts once again, "Master Cyclonis?" he called, slightly concerned now

Cyclonis knew she had to answer him, "I'm okay Ace, just tired, I was working late last night... actually, what day is it?" she called through the door

There was a moment's pause as Dark Ace no doubt stood slightly confused, _Cyclonis was being very polite, and did her voice sound different, not quite as raspy_. Then he gathered himself and replied, "It's Tuesday Master, you infiltrated the _Condor_ two days ago, you've been in your room since yesterday morning."

The gears in Cyclonis's head began turning, she'd gone to Terra Neon yesterday in disguise, but the only people who knew that were Piper and Radarr. The rest of the Storm Hawks believed her to be Cecilia, while everyone on Cyclonia had assumed she was in her room and hadn't wanted to be disturbed. She looked again at the note, then called to Ace, "Do you have the Storm Hawk's location?" she asked

"Of course Master, we believe they're on Terra Neon, do you want me to go and get them, pay them back for Terra Tundras?" Dark Ace asked

"No, that information is plenty, we'll keep tabs on them for now, I'd like you to take charge of the Terra for the rest of the day Ace," Cyclonis replied

Now Ace really _was_ confused, "Take charge?" he questioned

"Yes, I'm going out, there are some things I need to take care of," Cyclonis explained, "Oh and _nobody_ is to touch my work while I'm away, that goes for you as well Ace!" Cyclonis finished

Ace glanced back at the covered table which held Cyclonis's latest project, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious about what it was, but he also wasn't stupid, it would be a death sentence for him – in more ways than one – or anyone really, who meddled with Cyclonis's work. "As you wish Master, I'll keep an eye on things until you return."

"Thank you Ace," Cyclonis replied, Ace then bid Cyclonis a good day and left, Cyclonis listened until she heard the main door to her chambers close, then turned her attention back to the note and began to read

* * *

 _Dear Cyclonis_

 _I hope this finds you well, Gift wanted you to have the outfit to keep, so you would always have something casual to wear, and to remind you of the lessons you have learned_

 _History had some good things to say about you, he thinks that with your new perspective you will do well, just always remember that the past has much to teach us, but never hold on to it_

 _As for Mystery, she would like to apologise for her harsh treatment, or "tough love" if you will, but she felt it was the only way to make you see the damage you could cause by casting your spell_

 _However, the choice we now leave to you, we hope you will consider our advice and all we have taught you with great care and thought, the future and what becomes of it, is up to you now, good luck_

 _Arygyn_

* * *

Cyclonis put down the note and looked at the outfit, _they were leaving it up to her?_ Well that had always been the plan but now they were at the moment of truth Cyclonis was surprised by the weight of the decision. The entire world effectively rode on this one choice, normally this would be a choice she would make without hesitation. Now however she had seen just where that kind of thinking had gotten her, she couldn't just leap before looking, she needed to consider and carefully analyze the situation. With a sigh, Cyclonis realized this was not something she could do alone, she needed a second opinion, but no one on Cyclonia would understand or even share the same perspective as Cyclonis

 _Whoever said anything about talking with someone on Cyclonia_ , as the thought came to her Cyclonis was filled with both fear and longing because of _who_ the thought was implying. Having said that, she _would_ be one of the few people who might understand and even listen, _and it's not like I don't know where she is either_

* * *

Piper awoke early, as per the norm for her, she was usually the first one up and about, all the guys slept in most of the time, especially Finn, even when he had chores to do. Ah well, after the day they'd had yesterday, it was only natural that they'd want to sleep in, and Piper didn't have the heart to wake them just yet. Instead she went into the _Condor's_ kitchen to begin making herself a cup of tea, she put the kettle on and while she waited for it to boil, grabbed a fresh loaf of bread and cut a few slices for toast. As the whistle for the kettle went off, Piper took it off the burner and set it down by her tea cup, she then turned to the cupboard where the tea bags were kept only to almost trip over her own feet at who she saw standing there

"Good morning Piper, sleep well?" Cyclonis asked a small strangely kind smile on her face

Piper's hand went straight for her crystal staff, but before she could pull it out a red light wrapped around it and the collapsed staff flew to Cyclonis's hand

"Heh!" Piper exclaimed, only to be interrupted by Cyclonis

"I'll give this back Piper, so long as you promise to hear me out first, _quietly_ , I'd rather not have to explain this to the rest of your crew," Cyclonis said, her voice barely above a whisper so her voice wouldn't carry to the other rooms on the ship

Piper knew if she needed help she could just call for the guys and they'd come running – if they woke up that is – but there was something about Cyclonis today that made Piper curious, she just seemed very different than when they'd met on Terra Tundras. Reluctantly, Piper relaxed her stance, "Alright, but one wrong move and this whole ship will know your here," Piper replied

"Fair enough," Cyclonis said nodding, then sent Piper's collapsed crystal staff back to its owner

Piper hadn't been expecting Cyclonis to keep her word, so the fact that she did only had Piper more curious, once the staff was back in her hand, she gave Cyclonis a critical look before speaking, "Ok, so what is it you want?" Piper asked

"I'm sorry," Piper blinked as Cyclonis said the words, to say she was shocked was an understatement

"What?" Piper replied confused

"I'm sorry for lying to you, for hurting you, you were the first friend I ever had and I threw it away all for power," Cyclonis continued, she then sighed, "You were right about me, I'm just a lonely girl who desperately wants a friend."

Piper was stunned senseless, she had expected some sort of recruitment speech, not _this_. Piper then shook herself and gave Cyclonis a hard stare, "Okay Cyclonis spill it, what sort of game are you playing, first you try to kill me and my squad on Terra Tundras, now your here apologising... and what was with yesterday, was that _really_ you and if so, _what in the wastelands were you doing_!?" Piper's words were barely restrained in order to keep the noise level down, but Cyclonis could tell Piper was on the verge of losing it

"Your right to be angry, in your position I would be too... will you allow me to explain?" Cyclonis replied

Piper blinked, Cyclonis's words sounded so sincere, _what is going on here?_ Piper thought, her brow furrowed she was about to speak again when Radarr walked in and saw them both. Piper expected him to start screaming but instead he just nodded to both of them and continued on his way to the cupboards, passing Cyclonis on the way

"Heh Radarr... look, sorry about the whole cloaking thing... truce?" Cyclonis asked

Piper looked on shocked as Radarr waved his hand in a way that said _"Forget about it"_ before grabbing his breakfast snacks and walking back out of the room

After he left Piper looked back at Cyclonis who was smiling, not a smug grin or a smirk, just smiling. "Ok, what was that all about?" Piper demanded

Cyclonis sighed, "Please Piper, sit down and let me explain, I promise I'll tell you everything."

Piper raised an eyebrow her suspicions still high, but didn't argue, and sat down at the kitchen table. Cyclonis sat on the other side; they stayed seated in silence for a few moments as Cyclonis looked like she was deep in thought, searching for a good way to start

"First off, there's something about me that you have to understand," she said

"Alright," Piper responded, not sure yet where this was going

"My mother became very ill after giving birth to me, she died just a couple of months after I was born... it was very hard on my father, he became obsessed with protecting me, I was all he had left besides grandmother," Cyclonis began "This meant that when the conflict with the rest of Atmos got stirred up again, he felt he _had_ to be on the front lines, in the thick of the fighting to defend Cyclonia."

Piper just nodded, her body tense and ready to spring should she need to, but at the same time, absorbing all the information coming her way. She had felt a pang of sympathy for Cyclonis after hearing about her mother, _more parallels between us_

"Of course, being so close to the fighting naturally came with a high risk, and one day, my father's luck ran out."

Piper felt a cold feeling suffuse her; _she lost both her parents, one to illness, the other to war_

"The day the generals returned to tell me and grandmother what had happened was one of the worst days of my life, but things only got worse afterwards," Cyclonis explained, "My grandmother became lost to despair, anger and rage, feelings she'd kept bottled up inside for years were finally let loose... and when taking them out on Atmos failed, she turned towards me."

Now Piper felt sick, _she took it out on her own granddaughter!_

"Grandmother began a harsh regime of training for me, telling me that as the future of Cyclonia it was my _duty_ to make the Atmos pay for everything they'd done, including the death of my father."

The cold feeling got worse, now Piper had the shivers

"I spent nearly ten years utterly alone, being taught only how to destroy and hurt people, I had no friends, no family to spend time with and get away from it all. Grandmother would only spend time with me to beat and drum her lessons into me."

 _She turned Cyclonis into a monster, her own granddaughter_

"Eventually I couldn't take it anymore, I lashed out... and in the process, I killed her... I became Master Cyclonis for the first time... and only after she was dead did I wake up and realise what had happened... but it was too late."

Piper saw the tears running down Cyclonis's cheeks, and could feel her own ones brimming in her eyes. But Piper kept them at bay and continued to study Cyclonis's face, looking for any kind of lie, but there was none, _she's telling the truth... no wonder it hurts so much_

"After I was crowned, the darkness that grandmother had placed in me... cultivated in me, began to grow and consume me, I retreated inwards... cowering in the back of my own mind... until you." Cyclonis now looked up for the first time and looked Piper in the eye

Piper blinked in surprise, "Me?" she questioned

Cyclonis nodded, "When I started hearing about you I began to hope again, hope that I wasn't alone, that I might find a friend, someone to stand by my side, help me when I needed it, to listen to me and understand what I was going through... someone who shared my interests and passions." Cyclonis sighed as she looked away, "The more I heard, the more I began to hope and become excited at the thought of finally making a friend... but the _Master_ interfered... stating that it would only allow you as a friend if you agreed to join us and help Cyclonia win the war... with how little I knew about you, I was almost sure you would... so sure that I spent most of the day before going to infiltrate the _Condor_ setting up your own lab equipment in the main room of my chambers so we could work together," another sigh escaped Cyclonis, "I made sure it was perfect, scrolls and texts on ancient Crystal Mage techniques, the latest equipment, and more crystals than you could ever dream of... all for you."

Piper didn't know how she wasn't an ice cube at this point, she was so cold, _she was so excited and happy to finally have a friend that she went to those lengths to set everything up for me?_

"So when you rejected me... it hurt, badly... and I retreated in again, leaving only the _Master_ on the surface... _she_ then attacked you and your friends," Cyclonis finished

Piper stared at the girl sitting across from her, unable to form words in response to all this, she could tell that Cyclonis was telling the truth, and that was what was cutting the deepest. Piper had never given any thought on how her rejection would affect Cyclonis, now that she was hearing it, Piper felt terrible, "Is that it?" she asked

Cyclonis shook her head, "After I returned to Cyclonia, I was so angry, I destroyed the lab I had setup for you... almost crushed Ace in the process," Cyclonis continued, the last part mumbled under her breath, but Piper still heard and couldn't suppress a snigger

Cyclonis rolled her eyes at that, then continued, "Once I'd had a chance to cool off a bit and start thinking again, I decided to try and find a way to get back at you... and I did, I discovered a crystal spell that would tear your squadron apart from the inside and then spread to the rest of Atmos... the perfect revenge."

Now Piper was confused, if Cyclonis really had found this, _why_ hadn't she used it?

Cyclonis kept going though to give Piper her answer, "You're wondering _why_ I didn't use it?" Piper just nodded

"After putting the spell together I was exhausted, so I decided to turn in and get some sleep before activating it... before I was able to do so I got a visit from a strange man called Arygyn."

Piper started at the name and Cyclonis gave her a sideways look "You know him?"

"Only by reputation, he's supposed to be a great warrior trainer," Piper replied

Cyclonis nodded in response "I can see that, though I think there's more to him than that... anyway, he barges into my room telling me I _shouldn't_ cast the spell, in fact he wants me to destroy it... I tell him to get stuffed obviously."

"Obviously," Piper parrots, a smirk on her face, Cyclonis rolls her eyes again

"In response he tells me that I will be getting visits from some friends of his, History, Gift and Mystery," Cyclonis continues

Piper raises her eyebrow at the strange names, "Past, Present and Future," Cyclonis clarifies

Piper's eyes go wide at that, "And what happened?"

Cyclonis chuckles here, "Well, History shows me the past of course... _my_ past to be specific... basically, everything I've just told you about my past."

Piper shakes her head in amazement at that

"Mystery showed me what would happen if I cast the spell and trust me, what I saw is best left to _Mystery_... the less the Atmos knows about it, the better."

Piper wanted to question further on that subject, but Cyclonis's hard eyes told her she _wouldn't_ be getting more information on that

"But before I saw Mystery, I got a visit from Gift... she was the one that took me to Terra Neon and cast a spell on the whole Terra so that anyone standing on the Terra wouldn't recognise me."

Piper's eyes widened, "So it _was_ you!" she hissed

Cyclonis nodded, "Yes, and I'm sorry I lied to you again, but Gift felt it was the only way I could experience what I'd been missing out on... to have a do over of trying to make friends... and it worked, yesterday was one of the best days of my life, and certainly one of the happiest in the last 10 years... I never wanted it to end," Cyclonis sighed here, "Sadly... Gift and all her sisters only live for a day, so when the day came to an end, so did she, and her spell lifted."

Piper felt all the pieces click into place, "That's why you ran off, you knew that we would recognise you the moment the spell wore off and attack you."

Cyclonis just nodded, then took a few moments to think before continuing, "After Mystery showed me her vision, I was returned home... now the choice has been left to me on what to do with my spell... on the one hand, it would give me victory, if I could just find a way to control it or turn it off... however on the other hand..." Cyclonis trailed off

"You'd be destroying your friends and following the path your grandmother forced you down" Piper finished

Cyclonis sighed, "I couldn't make the decision on my own, at least not without talking to someone about all this first... but no one on Cyclonia would have understood or even have a balanced perspective."

Piper frowned here, "I'm not exactly an unbiased person to ask."

Cyclonis chuckled, "I know, but with our combined bias and perspective, as well as the fact I knew if I could convince you to listen we would both look at things from the other's point of view well..." Cyclonis trailed off again but also gave Piper a mischievous look, all the while Piper stared at her open mouthed

Piper then shook her head and brought her thumb and forefinger to the bridge of her nose, "I guess we really are alike to know each other _this_ well."

Cyclonis chuckled again, before her face grew serious, "Well, what do you think I should do?"

Piper remained in silent thought for several moments, before taking a breath and looking Cyclonis in the eye, "First I want you to know I can _never_ forgive you for what happened on Terra Tundras... however considering how much I hurt you as well, why don't we just leave it in the past, where it's meant to be," Piper stated

Cyclonis nodded, "Sounds reasonable."

Piper nodded, "As to this decision... both the Skyknight in me, and my own personal feelings think you should get rid of your spell and try to make sure no one else can use it."

Cyclonis just nodded, she'd expected that, however

"Having said that, if I were in your shoes, I would still want to give Cyclonia some advantage in the war, or at the very least try to protect it from further conflict."

Another nod from Cyclonis, but she held her tongue, waiting to see what Piper would say

"Personally, I wouldn't be against starting over when it comes to being friends, but I'm not naive, I know we can't do that while we're at war... so have you thought about bringing it to an end?"

Cyclonis sighed, "I have, but I'm not sure it'll be as easy as going up to the Atmosian council and saying 'heh there old timers, we've been fighting long enough how about we end this stupid war'"

Now it was Piper's turn to chuckle, then she became serious again, "I know, but we can always try, and you know I'd be happy to help in any way I can if you decide to walk that path... and I'm sure I can convince the guys to do the same."

Cyclonis nodded smiling, "I know Piper, and thanks," Cyclonis then sighed and sat back in her chair deep in thought. As the two of them sat in silence they heard Aerrow's alarm clock go off and shortly get silenced, Cyclonis gave another small smile, "I should go, don't want the guys catching me sitting in the kitchen with you now do we, would cause quite the mess."

Piper rolled her eyes and gave an expression of _"Don't I know it"_

"Thanks for listening Piper, it was nice chatting with you," Cyclonis continued and turned to go

Before she reached the door though, Piper leapt off her chair, "Oh heh wait a minute," before dashing to her room, she came back with the model Skimmer and Cat Plushie, "Here, these are yours," Piper said handing them to Cyclonis

Cyclonis took the cat Plushie holding it fondly, then looked at the skimmer, before smiling at Piper, "You keep that one, after all, you didn't get a prize after giving up your chance to win me this," she replied, holding up the Plushie

Piper looked at her confused, "You sure?"

Cyclonis just nodded

Piper smiled at that, "Well okay then, thanks, and take care Cyclonis."

Cyclonis smiled back "You too Piper."

Piper was about to add something, but Aerrow's voice interrupted her, "Morning Piper," Aerrow yawned

Piper, startled, jumped around, "Oh heh Aerrow, good morning," she replied

"You talking with someone?" Aerrow asked as he rounded the corner and looked down the corridor where Cyclonis was

However, Cyclonis, was no longer there, though was it Piper's imagination, or was there a slight distortion in the air down the end of the corridor. "Oh I was just saying goodbye to Cecilia, she came back for her Plushie, you just missed her," Piper explained

Aerrow frowned at that, but the combination of having just woken up and needing breakfast overrode his suspicions, "She say hi?" he simply asked

Piper gave a snort, "Course she did, what kind of friend would she be if she didn't?"

Aerrow chuckled at that, "Well that's good, now come on, let's have breakfast and get the others up, we got a message from the council last night, we have an important mission they want us on ASAP." Piper nodded at that, and went back to preparing her breakfast, as she did she could have sworn she heard a whispered farewell

" _Goodbye Piper and good luck."_

 _To you as well... Lark_

* * *

 **Three weeks later**

Cyclonis sat at her desk looking over reports, from her neck hung a new crystal necklace, the crystal itself was clear and see through, but within it was a carefully woven blue line, a single strand of hair. Cyclonis had made the necklace shortly after returning from the _Condor_ three weeks ago, the moment she had returned she had destroyed the crystal spell she had put together, but saved the hair, moulding it into the crystal she now wore about her neck. Along with the Terra Neon Cat Plushie, it was a keepsake of her time with Piper and the Storm Hawks, though she was looking forward to spending more time with them soon

After returning, Cyclonis had ordered a full accounting of Cyclonia's resources, manpower and ships. After reviewing them, Cyclonis had determined that the war was seeing diminishing returns and had said as much in the meeting she had called with her Generals and government staff. As a result she had declared that Cyclonia would begin – at the very least – ceasefire negotiations with Atmos. Those had gone off without a hitch as both sides were relieved to put an end to the fighting and catch their breath, if Cyclonis had her way though, it wouldn't stop at just ceasefire. She was now working on a way to end the threat of war permanently while still maintaining Cyclonian independence, it was a long hard road, but, if current reactions were anything to go by, it would be a rewarding one

Almost all of Cyclonis's subordinates had been happy to support her in the path she was walking, their patriot spirit had seen to that, they wanted whatever was good for Cyclonia, and with the Terra and it's people on the road to recovery and even growing in strength, peace was definitely being viewed as a _good_ thing for Cyclonia. Ravess was taking the movement to heart as she now had ample opportunity and resources to put advanced training regimes into practice for the talons, she was also pursuing her patronage of the arts as well by supporting music schools on Cyclonia.

Snipe had been slightly harder to please due to his more violent nature, but Murk Raider attacks had seen to that, with a constant threat to Cyclonia needing taking care of, Snipe had been more than happy to see to frontier defence

Repton had of course left Cyclonia once the Terra had entered ceasefire negotiations, but had likewise been unable to continue _open_ conflict himself, lest he draw the combined ire of all the Skyknights

But by far the hardest had been Ace; Atmosia had wanted him extradited for his crimes of treason against the old Storm Hawks Squadron. This meant he couldn't simply _leave_ Cyclonia as he needed their protection, or risk being hunted like a dog. However, neither had he supported the path of peace, Ace _lived_ for war, breathed it in every breath, so living without it and the glory of victory was hard for him. Strangely, it was Aerrow who found a solution, Ace would make reparations for his betrayal, and in return, Atmosia would drop the charges against him. In return however, Ace would have to hang up his sword and return what was rightful Storm Hawk property, to offset being deprived of combat though, Ace would be allowed to teach what he knew. So Ace had got a promotion, Cyclonis had made him Grand Admiral of the Cyclonian fleet, to allow him to continue to lead Cyclonia's forces in battle and make use of his vast knowledge and experience. He would also run the Cyclonian military school that would teach future officers of the Cyclonian navy, thanks to this solution, Ace had, reluctantly, hung up his sword and retired from active combat

Cyclonis, aware of the hard decision he had made, rewarded his loyalty with a lavish ceremony and a number of medals, making Ace _the_ most decorated soldier in the Cyclonian fleet

Now three weeks on things were going well, there was still a lot of work to do, and it would be _years_ yet before the Atmos saw _true_ peace between Cyclonia and the Skykinghts of Atmos. But that was the future Cyclonis envisioned, and though it was a mystery of _how_ she would get there, she was determined to do so, and she would use everything at her disposal to do it, even lessons from history. Cyclonis was broken from her thoughts however by a light knock at her door, she smiled as she heard it, _for now though, everyday is a gift, and should be treasured_ , as the thought ran through her head she gripped the necklace she wore, before carefully putting everything away while calling towards the door, "I'm almost ready, be out in a bit."

"Okay," came Piper's reply

Cyclonis smiled, Piper had been true to her word, as always, she had helped Cyclonis through every step of getting this far and was of course doing her part to help over in Atmosia and the rest of Atmos. Both of them had also talked to the rest of the Storm Hawk's and explained everything, while they had all listened and agreed to think about whether or not to continue the friendships that had started on Terra Neon, they had also said it would take time. Cyclonis however was in no rush, she was content with just Piper, she'd spent the last ten years without a friend or anyone really. Now she had a friend, her Terra was on the road to peace as was all of Atmos and she finally felt like this was a path she had _chosen_ , free of hate, fear or anger, it was a good path, and she would follow it to its end... no matter where that may be

* * *

Unbeknownst to Cyclonis, a bird sat perched on her balcony watching her. As Cyclonis opened her door and greeted Piper with a hug, it gave a smile. For a brief moment a lanky black haired boy wearing a black uniform, along with a small gold light and a cloaked and hooded figure appeared with it, all of them smiling, the gold light even giggled. Then they vanished, as the bird turned and leapt off the balcony and into the sky

 _The End_


End file.
